Lake County: I-90 west, eastbound reopened

LAKE COUNTY -- A number of accidents caused the closure of I-90 in both directions at SR 44 in Lake County for several hours.

The Highway Patrol hasre-opened both the eastbound and westbound lanes, with eastbound opening mid-afternoon and westbound opening about 5:30 p.m.

At least three crashes were reported in the area, including one in which a car was caught between two semis, another in which a car appears to have rear-ended a semi and was stuck underneath, and a two-car accident.

Three people were taken to the hospital but are expected to survive.

Drivers tell WKYC that it was near whiteout conditions at the time and the pavement was icy. One woman says she tried to stop but her car slid 200 feet into a truck. Another truck stopped just short of hitting her.

Truck drivers were able to communicate with each other about thetraffic and road conditions, allowing them extra time to stop.

Police brought tow trucks to clear the scene, as well as ODOT crews to treat the roadway before reopening the stretch of highway.